


Codex Entries That Might Have Been In Dragon Age But Weren't

by thievesguilding



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Fake Codex Entries, Gen, Mythal - Freeform, Other, Skyhold, elven language, is there even an audience to be reached with that
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-30
Updated: 2015-01-20
Packaged: 2018-03-04 08:03:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3022361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thievesguilding/pseuds/thievesguilding
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I like writing fake codex entries. Some game studio should hire me to write real ones, but they haven't yet. This is an assortment of things that plopped out of my brain while I was writing things with actual plots. Includes such fun as: elvhen grammar, a theory on Skyhold and time magic, a hymn to Mythal, and much more!</p><p>UPDATE: This has become a series of informational snippets relevant to Mythal'enaste.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It is said that the original name of the site was Tarasyl'an Te'las— "the place where the sky is held back from the earth". The modern translation of this into Skyhold, referring specifically to the castle itself, is superficially accurate; however, recent information suggests that it may miss key nuances of meaning relating to the site's sociocultural and religious significance in ancient elven times.

Elven mythology surrounding the site suggests that it was once the location of a great catastrophe wherein the dome of the sky threatened to collapse in on the world of the living. Whether this is a metafor for a cataclysmic blending of the Fade and the waking world or refers literally to the sky is unknown; however, Tarasyl'an Te'las was evidently the site where this threat was vanquished, and the original settlement here (which cannot accurately be called either a temple or a fortress) was built to ensure that the arcane work done on the site remained strong.

Those who have kept updated with the recent situation involving the Breach in Haven, as well as the Inquisitor's subsequent victory in sealing it, may recognise a similar pattern in the ancient elven legend. It is curious— indeed, incredible— that two such specific and similar events would occur in essentially the same location.

In fact, the legend may not have been a recounting of past events at all, but rather a foretelling of future ones. The heretical elven gods of old were, regardless of their other attributes, powerfully magical, and the elves had many rituals and much knowledge that are still undeciphered in modern times. Could accurate prophetic interpretation have been among them? And if so, could Skyhold have been built and maintained specifically for the use of the Inquisitor? Such a theory of course strains belief nearly as much as the idea of the Breach as an exact repetition of a previous event, but nonetheless raises interesting questions.

—from  _Elven Roots: A History of Skyhold_  by Sister Janice Vairot of Val Chevin, commissioned by the Inquisition


	2. Chapter 2

_Shivenni_   
_noun, abstract, fourth declension_

A notoriously difficult concept to translate succinctly, and thus often left untranslated but footnoted in academic works; _shivenni_ refers to duty, and more specifically to an obligation fulfilled willingly or out of joy, rather than from fear of repercussions. The use of shivenni is extant in only two fragmented texts, both from an early period in Elvhenan's written record, and in both cases the term is used in reference to a religious duty. Whether this is the only possible context for the word's usage is unknown; many terms for similar concepts can be used either in a religious or secular/civic context, but the related term _halam'shivanas_ , while widely attested, is used specifically to refer to lifelong religious commitment.

The specificity of the word suggests a counterpart— obligation fulfilled under duress or situational necessity— but such a term has yet to be identified.

 

—from _A Complete Elven Lexicon, 3rd Edition,_ by Estanelle of Ghislain, Professor of Ancient Linguistics at the University of Val Royeaux


	3. In Praise of Mythal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mythal, you guys. Mythal is so important.

Hail, lady of the summer earth;  
Hail, You of the bountiful fields;  
Hail, mother of mercy and retribution;  
Blessed is Your path.

Praise to the mistress of burning wings;  
Praise to She who measures out justice;  
Praise to the lady of succour and scourge;  
Holy are Your words.

In Your name we sing.  
For Your grace we pray.  
At Your mercy we live.

 

_—inscribed on a broken altar in the Dales_


End file.
